Refrigerator-alarm.



w I. MOON & D. HACKMANN. REFRIGERATOR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 28, 1914. 1,180,174. Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET lgmm'm Wu Zj/Zaa 22 R I m QC ffiZdZZZZ w. I MOON & D. HACKMANN.

REFRIGERATOR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 28 I914. 1,180,174. Patented Apr. 18,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET Z.

HUI",

gm newton! wi/bwaooeo THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH .60 WASHINGTON. D. C.

) i r I drip pan in WILLIAM I. MOON AND DIETRICH HACKMANN, OF BALTIMORE,MARYLAND.

REFRIGERATOR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application filed November 28, 1914. Serial No. 874,500.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WVILLIAM I. Moon andDIETRICH HACKMANN, citizens of the United States, residing at Baltimore,in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements inRefrigerator- Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerator alarms, being especially designedfor rnd1- eating a certain predetermined level of water in the drip panusually placed under a refrigerator, ice box or the like and which willalso facilitate the removal of the dr 1p pan and the return of the drippan touts receiving position after it has been emptied, withoutrequiring any attention on the part of the operator who does not need totouch the alarm controlling mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide means of the characterreferred to whereby the alarm is silenced by continu ng the upwardmovement of the controlling fioat and its lever above a predeterminedposition at which the alarm is sounded.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the alarmcontrolling mechanism may be returned to its initial position withoutagain sounding the alarm. With the above and other objects in view, theinvention consists in the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewthrough the lower portion of a refrigerator showing the its normalposition and the alarm mechanism of this invention in its relationthereto. Fig.2 is a similar view showing the position assumed by theparts when the water has reached a predetermined level in the pan so asto sound the alarm. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken at rightangles to Fig. 2 showing the hinged flap door for the pan compartment.Fig. 4: is a section similar to Figs. 1 and 2 showing the positionassumed by the parts when the hinged flap door is raised to remove thepan. Fig. 5 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 4 showing the partsin the same position. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation partlybroken away of the terminal contacts and circuit breaking means, show-.

ing said parts in the position corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is asimilar view with the parts in the position corresponding with Fig. 2.Fig. 8 is a similar view with the parts corresponding with the positionshown in Fig. 4;. Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the position of theparts in the return movement of the float and lever. Fig. 10 is aperspective view of the segregated parts actuated by the float lever.Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross section through the supporting bracket,showing the parts immediately supported thereby.

Referring to the drawing A designates generally a refrigerator or icebox provided at the bottom thereof with the usual drip pan space orcompartment 1 in which the drip pan 2 is placed, 3 designating the floorof the box or refrigerator.

In carrying out the present invention I employ a float lever 4 whichcarries at its free end a float 5 of any suitable description the sameby preference being pivotally connected'to the end of the float lever at6 so that it may assume a pendant hanging position as shown in each ofthe several sectional views. The main section of the lever has a jointedconnection at 7 with a circuit breaking arm or sector 8 which in realityforms an extension of the lever 4 as clearly shown in Figs. 6 to 9inclusive, the members 4 and 8 being connected together by a bolt 9provided with a thumb nut 10 to enable the members 4 and 8 to be clampedtogether in fixed relation and also permitting one of said members to beadjusted to any angular relation to the otherrnember. 11 designates ashoulder bearing against the head of the bolt 9 to prevent said boltfrom turning as the nut 10 is tightened and loosened.

The sector or circuit breaking arm 8 is provided with an arcuate edge orface 12 which is adapted to uphold or support a downwardly extending lip13 on a terminal contact 14 shown in the form of a spring arm one end ofwhich is connected to a binding post 15. The free extremity of the arm14 is preferably bent downwardly so that it may be brought into contactwith the projecting portion 16 of acontact plate or strip 17 connectedto another binding post 18. The binding posts 15 and 18 are connected tothe attaching base 19 of a supporting bracket which comprises inaddition to said base 19 a pair of arms 20 extending downwardlytherefrom, the base 19 being ordinarily fastened to the bottom of therefrigerator floor 3 as shown, for example, in Fig. 1. The circuitbreaking arm or sector 8 is journaled to oscillate on a sup porting boltor pivot 21 which connects the arms 20 of the bracket as bestillustrated in Fig. 11. Therefore, as the sector or circuit breaking arm8 turns on the pivot 21, being actuated .by the lever 4: which is inturn actuated by the float 5, the face 12 supports the lip 13 andmaintains an open circuit by keeping the terminal contacts 1 1 and 16separated as shown in Fig. 6. WVhen the float 5 reaches a predeterminedposition as shown in Fig. 2, the arm or sector 8 has moved sufficientlyto permit the lip 13 to pass out of engagement with the face 12 and ittherefore springs downwardly allowing the contact terminals to touch andthereby closing the circuit which includes the wires 22 and 23, battery24 and bell or other form of alarm 25, it being understood that thebattery and bell may be supported by the refrigerator or ice box at anyconvenient point either interiorly or exteriorly or on any other supportadjacent thereto.

lVoi-king in conjunction with the circuit breaking arm or sector 8 is acircuit breaking detent or dog 26 which is mounted to oscillate on thesame pivot'21 as the arm 8. This detent 26 is provided with a projectingfinger 27 which extends laterally and intersects the arm 8, the latterbeing provided with a notch 28 of greater width than the width of thefinger 27 for the purpose of admitting of a certain amount of relativeturning movement between the members 8 and 26. The provision of thenotch 28 forms two shoulders 29 and 30 arranged in spaced relation toeach other and adapted to contact with the opposite sides of the finger27. hen the parts have reached the position shown in Fig. 7, theterminal contacts have closed the circuit. YVhen the float and lever areraised above said point, the lip 13 is acted upon by a cam face 31 ofthe detent 26 and later is supported by an arcuate face 32 of saiddetent. This effects a lifting of the finger 13 and the terminal contactarm 14 so that the contacts are again separated as shown in Fig. 8.

In the return or downward movement of the float and lever, the shoulder30 comes in contact with the finger 27 and causes the detent 26 toassume the position shown in Fig. 9. This closes the gap between themembers 8 and 26 so that in the whole re turn movement of the float andits lever, the lip 13 is supported sufliciently high to pre vent theterminals 14 and 16 from coming in contact with each other. Therefore,the parts may be restored to their initial position shown in Fig. 1without sounding the alarm. By means of the adjustable joint at thepoint 7, the float 5 may be arranged to sound the alarm at differentlevels according to the depth of the drip pan.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the lever 4 is liftedfrom the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5automatically by merely opening the hinged flap or door 33 of the underthe refrigerator, the flap or door 33 is moved to its fully openposition. This lifts the float and its lever to a sufficient height toadmit of the insertion of the pan without interference. The flap or door33 is then closed which results in lowering the float and its lever intothe empty pan, the parts assuming the position shown in Fig. 1. hen thewater reaches a predetermined level in the pan as shown in Fig. 2, thecircuit breaking arm 8 has moved from the position shown in Fig. 6 tothe position shown in Fig. 7, permitting the lip 13 to spring downwardlyand allow the terminal contacts to touch each other. The alarm isimmediately sounded notifying any person in the vicinity that the panshould be emptied. The operator in opening the flap or door 33 moves thefloat and its lever from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the positionshown in Fig. 1. This permits the pan to be withdrawn, emptied andreturned to its receiving position. Thereupon the operator closes thedoor 33 and the parts are returned to the position shown in Fig. 1. Inthis return movement of the mechanism, the dog or detent 26 is movedfrom the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 9,closing the gap between the members 8 and 26 so that the terminalcontacts are held separated and the alarm is not sounded during thereturn movement of the parts to their initial position. The entireoperation is automatic outside of the mere opening and closing of thedoor or flap 33.

What we claim is 1. An electric circuit closer for'the drip pan of arefrigerator and the like, comprising a float lever pivoted above thelevel of the top of the pan, a float carried by the free end of saidlever, and arranged to close the circuit when said float and lever havemoved upwardly to a predetermined position, and mechanical means forraising said float and lever comprising a hinged flap on therefrigerator, and a connection between said flap and lever.

2. An electric circuit closer for the drip pan of a refrigerator and thelike, comprising a float lever'pivoted above the level of the top of thepan, a float carried by the In testimony whereof We afii x our signafreeend of said lever, and arranged to close tures in presence of twoWitnesses.

the circuit When said float and lever have moved upwardly to apredetermined posi- 5 tion, and mechanical means for raising said floatand lever comprising a hinged flap on Witnesses: the refrigerator, and aflexible connection JOHN 'A. WILLIAMS, Jr., between said flap and lever.ANTHONY STEMMER.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

